Europe Gets Amber Alert System

/* Story Top Left 2010 300x250, created 7/15/10 */
google_ad_slot = "8340327155";

Amber Alert is already well established in the United States and has saved so far over 600 kids. Now Europe gets a similar system.

Today the Amber Alert Europe Initiative announced Amber Alert Europe. The aim of Amber Alert Europe is to rescue children during the first hours after their abduction or after becoming the victim of human trafficking.

AMBER Alert Europe first steps:

Creating a child rescue alert system for EU countries that do not yet have one, and further strengthen the different child alert initiatives that already exist in EU member states;

Linking all child alert systems present in Europe, using international alerting standards and the child alert best practices set by the European Commission;

Starting by mapping all missing children in Europe;

Using the EU citizenry's situational awareness and willingness to help (citizen sourcing) in order to help rescue the approximately 1 million children that go missing in the EU every year;

Allowing for the quick issuing of crossborder alerts when a child goes missing near an EU border;

"When a child is taken, there is not a moment to lose. US research showed that in 76 percent of the missing children homicide cases studied, the child was dead within three hours of the abduction-and in 88.5 percent of the cases the child was dead within 24 hours*. That is what an AMBER Alert is for - to be a lifesaver by ensuring that within minutes the entire nation is on the lookout for a missing child," explains Frank Hoen, founder of both AMBER Alert Europe and AMBER Alert Netherlands. "Many EU member states responded to the EU commission's call for action and have launched a national child alert system. That is great. Now we need to take the next step, as in Europe borders are always near. A child abductor will not stop at the border, so neither should a child alert."

The Author

Luigi LugmayrLuigi Lugmayr (Google+) is the founding chief Editor of I4U News and brings over 15 years
experience in the technology field to the ever evolving and exciting
world of gadgets. He started I4U News back in 2000 and evolved it into
vibrant technology magazine.
Luigi can be contacted directly at ml@i4u.com.